Community concerns about the environmental effects of coal seam gas extraction and coal mining prompted legislative changes in 2012 that state the Australian Government Environment Minister must assess all proposals for developments deemed likely to have a significant impact on a water resource. Before deciding whether to approve a proposal, the Minister must seek advice from an independent scientific committee who reviews each environmental impact assessment (EIA). This committee, supported by the Office of Water Science, has now reviewed over 120 proposals. Based on this accumulated experience, revised guidelines to enhance the scientific rigour of EIAs have been prepared, along with several ‘explanatory notes’ dealing with topics such as assessing impacts on diverse groundwater-dependent ecosystems. Knowledge gaps have been addressed by Office-funded research and the outcomes have been used to inform the committee’s advice to the Minister. One example is the results of a multidisciplinary study of potential impacts of groundwater drawdown on vegetation, intermittent streams and Great Artesian Basin spring wetlands. However, challenges remain – particularly in predicting cumulative impacts under various climate-change scenarios, assessing the success of different mitigation and rehabilitation strategies, and dealing with legacy effects of large mining voids. Many freshwater scientists underestimate how their research may be used to improve guidelines for EIAs of extractive industries such as coal seam gas and coal mining that potentially impact surface waters and groundwaters over large areas for multiple decades. Do you?